Who Dunnit This Time?
by helpwolvesandsmile
Summary: The Victorious friends are all suspects of a murder. The murder of Helen, former principal of Hollywood Arts High. Are they guilty, and who done it? Maybe K but rated T, just to be on the safe side.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: _

_Welcome to my new story Who Dunnit This Time? Please enjoy and review! _

_Reminder: _

_I am not Dan Schneider. I am number four! No, not that either. _

_Summary: _

_The Victorious gang are all suspects (again). But this time, it's for a murder, the murder of Helen. Duh, duh, dun! _

_Special shout-out to AppleFlame12! This amazing author gave me three ideas for stories she/he decided not to write but was about to. Overall, this one seemed interesting and seemed like a story with lots of chapters. Thanks! _

_Please review and let me know your thoughts, comments, questions, concerns, suggestions, story ideas/requests, and etc. _

Prologue 

Helen lay in her bed. It was two o'clock in the morning and the moon shone through the blinds. A shrill beeping interrupted her sleep. She shot out of bed. Something sour hit her nostrils. Smoke? She looked out the window, surprised to find that her garage was engulfed in orange flames. She stumbled over to her bedroom door; it was locked. Panic flooded through her as she realized that she was trapped. In almost no time, the fire spread through the whole house. Helen could faintly hear the sirens of a fire truck as she became overwhelmed in the smoke and blacked out.

_Author's Note: _

_Was it a good prologue? Sorry it was so short. Please let me know what you think! _


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: _

_I literally just posted the first chapter. Sorry it was short, but I thought it was interesting. Here is the next chapter… so, enjoy and please please review! I love it when you give me reviews! _

Chapter 1

Jade walked through the door to Lane's office. She had been told that he wanted to see her for something. She was surprised to find Tori, Andre, Cat, Robbie, and Beck in there, too. She sat down her stuff by the door and went to sit in the hanging chair by the corner. Andre, Tori, and Robbie sat on the couch. Cat sat in the red chair next to Jade while Beck simply stood by the window.

Andre sighed, "You too, huh?"

"Yeah," Jade responded. "Why are we all here anyway?"

Lane, as if on cue, came through the door and entered the room. "You all are here because your suspects."

"Ugh," Tori groaned. "Again? We're good people!" Though, after that last part she shot a doubtful glance at Jade, who responded with a sarcastic smile.

"Yes," Lane confirmed.

Robbie cut in, "Uh, suspects of what?"

Lane hesitated before answering. "Helen's murder."

"Helen, that crazy woman who was principal for like, two months?" Beck questioned. Lane nodded.

"What?" Jade asked accusingly. "That's stupid. Why would anyone do that?"

Tori leaned forward. "Well, Jade, you hated her. Possibly even more than you hate me. We all know that Helen doesn't like you too much, either. You seemed like you'd do anything to get her out of Hollywood Arts."

This remark silenced the group. Jade's eyes widened a bit in surprise but she did not say anything.

"Why'd you do it?" Cat asked innocently.

"What?" Jade asked angrily. "I did nothing. Tori's the one jumping to conclusions!"

"Calm down, Jade," Lane said.

Andre spoke up. "Uh, how'd she die?"

Lane explained, "Well, about three days ago, there was a huge fire at her house. It killed her and…"

Jade cut him off. "Lots of things can start of fire, though."

"Yes, but, officers found some matches, a lighter, and gasoline."

"So… someone set the house on fire, then?" Robbie finished.

"It would seem so. Also, they discovered Helen was locked in her room when the fire happened. Since you were closest to her, the police figured it could be one of you that killed her."

"So you think that one of us broke into her house in the middle of the night, locked her door, and lit her house on fire?" Jade asked.

"Well, yes. But until we do know, nobody will be leaving," Lane said.

"What do you mean?" Tori asked with a hint of anxiety in her voice.

Lane opened the door. "No body leaves this room until we know the murderer." And with that, he closed the door, locked it, and walked away.


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: _

_Hello! I just got home from school. I had my science test today (ugh). I think I did well on it, though. Thanks for the reviews! And yes, ingsception, Beck and Jade are broken up. That should add some fun twists in! Without further adue, here is the next chapter. Please keep on reviewing! _

Chapter 3

The gang stood banging on the door, shouting for Lane to come back and get them out. Jade banged on the door a final time and stepped back.

"Hey!" she shouted, trying to get their attention. "It's not gonna work."

They stopped and looked at her, exchanged a few looks, and went to sick down again.

"She's right," Tori said, plopping sadly onto the couch.

"Hey," Andre soothed, putting an arm around her, "it's not that bad."

"Not that bad?" Robbie spoke. "One of us is a murderer and we're trapped!"

"It's not one of us," Beck convinced.

"It could be!" Robbie argued. "And… I have to go to the bathroom."

"Why didn't you go before?"

"Because I didn't know we were going to be trapped in here!"

They all sat silent and thinking. How could they get out? Jade got up and inspected the lock on the door.

"Cat," she said, "do you have a bobby pin or something I could use?"

"Sure," Cat answered, pulling one out of her hair and handing it to Jade.

Tori rolled her eyes. "We're supposed to be trying to get out, not playing with our hair."

"I'm picking the lock, smart one," Jade snapped.

"Ah! I heard a click," Tori said after a few seconds. "Did you get it?"

"No," Jade said. She handed Cat the pin back, it was snapped in two. "Here, I broke it."

Cat whimpered and put them in her pocket. "Aw, it died."

Beck spoke up, "Maybe we can just kick the door open."

"What? How?" Tori asked.

He shrugged. "Well, when Jade and I were dating she kicked my RV door open a few times."

Jade rolled her eyes. "That was easy; the door of the RV is lighter than this one. I'll break my leg if I try to kick open this door."

"She's probably right," Andre sighed. "Hey, you know how they escape in movies?"

Cat bounced up and down. "Ooooh, I know! They use a laser to cut out a shape in the door!"

"No… I meant we use the air vents."

Beck glanced at the ceiling. "They won't be able to stand our weight, I don't think."

Andre shrugged. "Worth a shot, right?"

Tori got up on the table and reached up to move a tile of the ceiling. "Andre's right!" she called. "These would probably hold us." As she spoke, Tori climbed up and hauled herself into the vent.

"Tori, that's dangerous!" Beck warned.

Jade snorted. "Why are you looking after Vega now?"

"Why do you care?"

"Well, I'm just…"

Andre got between them and spoke, "no fighting. We need to figure out how to get out."

Tori looked down at them. "I think it's safe. Come one!"

One by one, they all climbed into the vents in the ceiling. Once they were all up, Tori took the lead in crawling through the tunnels. Jade wrinkled her nose. The air was surprisingly stuffy and it smelled weird. They turned corners and bumped into each other. Finally, Tori stopped and called to the rest of the group.

"Hey, I think we're over Sikowitz's room! There's a gate thing right here we can pull up and jump down."

"Yay, freedom!" Cat shouted. Jade smiled a bit at her friend's excitement.

Andre helped Tori pull up the grate, and after a few seconds it came off.

"We're in!" Tori shouted excitedly.

_Author's Note: _

_Was it good? I liked it. Hey, I just got an idea. What if Helen's ghost showed up? Let me know if you like that idea. Also, sorry about the mix up with my BFB chapter four. I fixed that so check out the last chapter of it. Please review! Thank you so much. _


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: _

_Omg, I got jelly from my toast on the keyboard. Anyway… no reviews since the last chapter? Come on I know you can do better than that! _

Chapter 4

"Finally," Tori said as they headed toward the door that lead to the parking lot, "we're out!"

Jade nodded. She smiled at the thought of outsmarting Lane. She wanted to get home. They spent almost ten minutes talking to Lane, fifteen figuring out how to escape, and almost an hour winding their way through the labyrinth of air vents. School had been let out almost thirty minutes ago, so there was no body in the school anymore except them. They neared the door and Andre tried to open it. He frowned and pulled harder, but the door wouldn't budge.

"What is it?" Beck asked.

"I don't know," Andre responded. "The door's locked or something."

Jade pushed her way through her friends and pulled on the door. Andre was right, it wouldn't move at all. She kicked it a few times and pulled harder. Nothing.

"What's up with the locked doors today?" Jade though out loud.

Tori shrugged. "I don't know. Who do you think would have locked it?"

Beck spoke up, "The janitor locks up after cleaning. Maybe it was him."

"But, someone would have come and got us out of Lane's office before school ended, right?" Tori fretted.

Jade groaned. "Great, we're trapped again. And it's not like we can use air vents to escape this time."

Andre suggested, "Maybe we should go around the school and check the doors. He could have forgotten to lock one. It's worth a shot, right?"

"You said that last time," Robbie muttered.

"Yeah, but we got out. Maybe when I say that it means good luck. Come on, let's go see."

_(Time Break Thing) _

Jade stood watching Andre and Robbie trying to pry open a door. She crossed her arms, it had been almost two hours and all of the doors were locked. It was even starting to get dark outside.

"It won't work!" Jade finally shouted impatiently. "That's the last door; we're stuck here until morning."

Tori nodded. "Yeah, true. But they'll find us tomorrow, and then we can get out."

Jade rolled her eyes. "Tomorrow's Saturday and then we have next week off school, smart one."

"Okay, then we should probably find somewhere to set up camp and sleep."

Cat piped up, "Oh! A sleepover! Can we sleep in the Blackbox, please?"

Tori looked around, everyone nodded in agreement. "Sure, Cat," she said.

They made their way to the Blackbox Theater. They got some props and costumes for blankets and pillows. It took about an hour for them to get everything situated. Jade surveyed their work, satisfied.

"We should get food, I'm hungry," Robbie said.

"Good idea," Tori said. "Who's up for Grub Truck?"

"_Who's up for Grub Truck?_" Jade mocked Tori. "The truck's outside."

"Okay, well… don't we have a back-up cafeteria or something? For when it rains?"

"Actually, we do."

Jade lead them to the place. She remembered how she was the first of them to come to this school and knew where pretty much everything was. Something caught her eye, a shadow. Not a shadow, a figure. The figure seemed misty and clear, but it stood with its hair up on top of its head and she could faintly see the brown tint of its skin. The ghostly person stared at her with accusing eyes. Jade stopped in her tracks. It was Helen.

_Author's Note: _

_Duh, duh, duh! Did you like it? Reviews, reviews! _


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note: _

_Hello! First off, sorry about not updating. I've been at my grandparents' house the whole weekend and, knowing our elders, they do not have a computer. I got home two hours ago but I had to unpack, do homework, all that boring stuff. I finally have about an hour before I should do homework again. I have been planning this next chapter out in my head over the weekend and couldn't really come up with any new ideas. Sorry. I guess I'll just wing this one. Please keep reviewing! Faster updates should be coming! _

Chapter 5

Jade sat down on the stage of the Blackbox Theater with her friends. They were back from getting some food and found a few bags of chips, cans of pop, popcorn, and other things. Jade had a bag of chips in her lap and was eating some. They all made a circle formation with some sleeping bags they found. They ditched the old blankets after coming across some stuff for a play that was supposedly about camping. Everyone ate in silence, thinking about the next week and who could have killed Helen.

Tori broke the silence. "Why would anyone think we killed Helen?"

Beck answered her after a few seconds of thoughtful silence. "Well, Lane said that we were closest to her."

"Yeah but, we're good people!" Tori defended.

There was more silence and all eyes traveled toward Jade.

"What?" Jade said. "You heard Vega; I'm a good person too. When I want to be."

Robbie spoke up. "But you hated Helen more than any of us. She didn't like you too much, either. You've always been…." His voice trailed off.

"I've been what?"

"You know. Mean, quick-tempered. Helen died shortly after she was fired here, and from what I said before it seems like too much of a coincidence."

"What? So now you think I'm a murderer? I'd love to get rid of a lot of people and Helen's pretty close to the top of that list but, no, I wouldn't _kill _her. Just like I'd love it if Tori was gone but I wouldn't kill her, either."

Tori spoke sarcastically, "Thanks. That makes me feel a lot better."

"Well, who did it then?" Cat wondered out loud.

Andre shrugged. "Maybe it was just some psycho prisoner who broke out of jail and went to her house."

Jade rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. Because prisoners will pick any random house to catch on fire."

"Maybe he was on drugs or something and didn't know what he was thinking."

"Maybe. But if you don't have Scooby and the gang on speed dial so we can call them and have them figure it out, I guess we're stuck here and everyone thinks we're murderers."

Cat gasped. "Call Scooby! I want to see Scooby!"

"I don't have his number," Andre said.

"Phooey," Cat pouted, hugging her knees to her chest.

Suddenly, a door slammed behind stage. It echoed through the theater.

"What was that?" Robbie asked.

"A door slamming, smart one," Jade answered.

"It's a ghost!" Cat shouted.

Tori patted Cat on the shoulder. "They aren't real, Cat."

Cat whimpered. Jade recalled the misty figure she had seen earlier that night. That was a ghost, right? Surely not all spirits went to Heaven? She shook her head and pushed the thought away. Jade followed her friends to check out the door. But she couldn't help thinking if it was a ghost. Helen's ghost. And if it was, could Helen tell them who killed her?

_Author's Note: _

_Bad chapter, sorry. I know it was short. But I have to finish my homework. This story is kind of turning into one of those paranormal/ mystery stories, huh? I might continue that idea. I know there are stories like those out there, but I think the topic sounds interesting. The genre could change. Anyway, off to do some homework. Reviews really make me feel special, so, you know what to do! _


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's Note: _

_Sorry everyone! About a lot of things. I don't know where I am going with this story, the last two chapters were bad, I still don't have a solid idea for this chapter… so yeah. Some other things, too. I will try to make the following chapters better! Please keep reviewing! _

Chapter 6

Jade lay on her sleeping bag, staring up at the ceiling. It was about two in the morning, everyone else was sleeping. But she couldn't fall asleep. Thoughts about ghosts and murders and Helen's spirit kept her awake. Every time she heard something she thought it was the ghost. And it probably was, too. Jade just wanted to go home and find out who killed Helen so she could get the whole thing off her chest.

A moan came from Jade's left, followed by the sound of somebody rolling over. Jade looked over to see Beck, her ex-boyfriend. The guy who she loved and still, secretly, had feelings for. She could trust him with anything.

"Beck?" Jade whispered loudly.

He blinked open his groggy eyes and yawned. "Yeah?"

Jade let out a deep breath, this was ridiculous. "Do you believe in… ghosts?"

Beck stared at her in thought then replied. "Yeah."

"Well, would you think I'm crazy if I told you I thought I saw Helen? Her ghost, not actually her."

"Yeah."

Jade smiled and looked at him. "Is all you can say 'yeah'?"

He shrugged with a small grin. "Yeah."

The two of them lay in silence for a few moments. Then Beck spoke again. "Well, if Helen's ghost _is_ here, haunting the school, maybe she could tell us who killed her."

Jade nodded. "That's what I've been thinking."

"So… a ghost hunt?"

"Yep."

"We're really going to catch Helen and ask her who set her house on fire."

"Yep."

"Can you only say 'yep'?"

"… Yep."

This gained a few chuckles from both of them. Jade looked at him, into his brown eyes. He stared right into her blue ones. Jade opened her mouth to say something, probably something really romantic and cheesy like how deeply sorry she was and how she still loved him, but was interrupted when something hit her leg.

"Ow!" she growled. "Robbie! What the heck?"

Robbie had tripped over Jade's leg and was now laying face-down on the floor, snoring a bit.

"Is he sleepwalking?" Beck asked.

"Yeah. Robbie, get up!" Jade said, shaking his arm violently.

Robbie stirred and rolled onto his back, staring at Beck and Jade, confused.

"You were sleepwalking, idiot," Jade explained. "Help us wake the others. Time for some ghost hunting."

"Ghost hunting?" Robbie asked.

"Yeah, we're gonna catch Helen and ask her who killed her. Let's go."

"O-okay."

Together, the trio woke up their friends and told them the plan. They would split into groups of two. Tori and Robbie, Andre and Cat, and Jade and Beck. Each group would cover one third of the building. Andre had found some walkie-talkies in an old box backstage. They were probably for a play or something. Each group got a walkie-talkie and would meet with the others in the Blackbox in a few hours.

"Where should we start?" asked Beck.

"How about the library?" Jade suggested.

Beck nodded. "Okay. Time for some ghost hunting!"


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's Note: _

_Thanks for the reviews/comments! I feel special. Well, here is the next chapter. Enjoy! Review! _

_Oooh and I will be starting another story! I'll keep working on this one, but I just got an idea as I was doing my homework. It will have all the details on how Beck and Jade met. In my other story, Semester Break: Nine Days in Minnesota, I gave you guys a little flashback moment of how they met. But I didn't tell the whole story on that. So that is what my new story will do. It will be called How Bade Began. And, I will include a song by Taylor Swift in there somewhere! _

Chapter 7

Jade walked through the chilly hallway. Beck walked on the left of her; he held their walkie-talkie and Jade had the flashlight. It had been almost an hour, no ghost. Jade was beginning to think that the whole thing was just ridiculous. As if they were going to find Helen's ghost and discover who killed her?

Jade's flashlight went out. She banged it against the wall a few times, nothing. Suddenly, the door to a locker flew open. It was Jade's locker. One of the scissors flew off it and impaled the wall about an inch from Jade's head.

"Geez," Jade said, surprised. She tried to pull the scissors out of the wall but it wouldn't budge. "What the? Half of the whole scissor is in the wall. Beck, help me get this out."

Jade continued to pry at the scissor. She looked at Beck accusingly with a look that said 'I told you to help me with this'. Beck stared at something further down the hall. Jade narrowed her eyebrows in confusion. She turned around to see what Beck was looking at. There, at the end of the hall, was Helen. She stared at them with no emotion on her face. Jade approached the woman slowly, Beck following behind. Helen stayed where she was.

Jade was about to ask who had killed her when Helen moved to the side, revealing something written on the wall. It was a name.

JEREMY ALHANEN

_Author's Note: _

_Ooh! Sorry it was short. Was it bad? I need to finish my homework so the story I told you about won't be up for about… thirty minutes to an hour and a half. I'm not sure how long it will take to write, so that's why. And it will take a while to show up on the list of fanfics. Please review! _


	8. Chapter 8

_Author's Note: _

_Thanks for the reviews! I just read a really great story by DesperateWhisperer. It is called Secrets. You should check it out. Really sorry about not updating lately. I have had a ton of homework. I have some tonight, too. And my art class. And dinner. And a shower. I will try to do better about updating! And before I leave you with the next chapter, my story How Bade Began, I've been getting some reviews asking for more chapters on it. Sorry but that one was a one-shot. I am still taking story requests, though! And reviews… you know I love those._

Chapter 8

JEREMY ALHANEN. The name was printed messily on the wall in paint. Helen disappeared, leaving a startled Beck and Jade standing staring at the name on the wall. Beck reached for the walkie-talkie. He frowned and pressed some buttons fiercely.

"It won't work," he explained.

Jade groaned in frustration. "Let's just go back and meet them, it's about time, anyway."

"Right."

The pair walked back in silence. When they entered the Blackbox, they found the others were already there.

"Cat and Andre found nothing," Tori explained, "same with us."

Beck hesitated before talking. "W-we found something. Helen appeared and showed us some name written on a wall. Jeremy Alhanen."

Tori frowned in thought. "Maybe he was the murderer?"

Jade shrugged. "That's what I'm thinking. Maybe we could get onto one of the school computers and do some research on this guy. You know, find out if he knew Helen and stuff like that."

"Good idea," Robbie said.

_(Time Break Whachamacallit) _

Jade sat in the principal's chair in front of an old computer at a desk. Her friends gathered around her, peering over her shoulders.

"Find it?" Andre asked.

"Yep," Jade answered. "It says right here. Jeremy Alhanen, lives in Los Angeles. No wife or kids. And-look. He posted 'going on a date tonight with a lady named Helen Lanter'."

"Ooooh, that must be our Helen, then," Andre said.

Jade nodded and continued searching info about Jeremy.

"Does this Jeremy guy have any criminal records?" Tori asked.

Jade nodded. "Yeah. It says armed robbery and attempted murder."

"So if he's a criminal and dated Helen, he really could have murdered her," Tori confirmed.

"Yeah. We could report this guy, you know. And now that we have proof they'll have to believe us."

_Author's Note: _

_Bad chapter ending, I know. Sorry it was short. _

_Mmmm… Taco= good. Thank you, Mexico! _


	9. Chapter 9

_Author's Note: _

_Hi everyone! My grandparents are over. Random fact, yeah. The story will be ending soon, just a heads-up! Sorry about that. I know I said faster updates, I am trying! I'm not really sure how I should do this chapter. I'll wing it : ) _

_READ! For my next story, should it be about Jade moving away? It was just an idea that popped into my head. If I get at least three or four reviews saying that I should write it, I will! I am still open for story requests, so feel free. I have a few ideas in my head, probably not stories, though. If they are, one-shots. Okay, enough of me and on to the story. Please do review! _

Chapter 9

"Tori," Andre said, "your dad's a cop, right?"

"Yeah," Tori responded.

"Maybe we could call him and tell him we found the murderer."

"Good idea. But I left my phone in my locker."

"Same," Cat and Robbie said in unision.

Beck shrugged a little. "I left mine in Lane's office. Andre, what about your phone?"

Andre shook his head. "I don't have it. I left it in my pants one day and my grandma washed it."

Jade held up her black pear-phone. "I got mine. It's almost dead, though."

"Give it to me so I can call my dad," Tori said.

Jade tossed her the phone and she began to dial. After a minute or two, Tori hung up the phone.

"He said he'd bring another cop to unlock the doors and get us out of here. They've heard of Jeremy before. My dad was there when he did the robbery. The police can easily track him down to arrest him."

"Yay! Happy ending!" Cat squealed, clapping.

"Great," Jade spoke, "now give me my phone back and let's get out of here."

Tori handed her the phone and the group walked to the main entrance of the school. They waited for about an hour. Jade was about to suggest that he might not be coming, when they heard sirens. A few seconds later, Tori's dad banged on the door.

"Yay!" Cat exclaimed. "Freedom!"

"Tori, is everyone alright in there?" Mr. Vega asked.

"Yeah, Dad. We're fine!" Tori answered.

Suddenly, the door swung open. Tori ran up to hug her father.

The other cop asked, "What's the murderer's name again?"

"Jeremy Alhanen, I think," Robbie replied.

The cop nodded and scribbled a few things on a note pad.

"I'm going home," Jade stated matter-of-factly.

She sauntered into the parking lot and made her way to her black car. She was about to get in when she felt a tug on her arm. She turned to find Beck looking at her. What was that in his eyes? Longing? Hurt? Grief?

"What?" Jade growled.

"That moment. In the Blackbox when it was just us, the others were all sleeping."

"What about it?"

"It-it made me realize… I miss you, Jade."

This shocked her. Suddenly, this situation felt really awkward. She didn't know what to say at first. What would she say, anyway?

"I know you might not feel the same way, but I want us to be together again," Beck rambled on. "You don't seem very happy anymore. I know I made you happy." His voice trailed off, waiting for a reaction.

Jade looked at the ground, then in his eyes. "I know. You did- you do- make me happy. The breakup was all my fault. I miss you, too. I was the one who started fights and I promise I will do better."

Beck smiled. "You'll do better? Sounds like you want us back together."

"Yep."

"So you miss me too?"

"Yep."

"Can we start over? No fighting, arguing, we'll just talk things out?"

"Yep."

Beck put on a thoughtful frown and raised a brow. "Haven't we been through this?"

Jade nodded and chuckled. "Yep."

Beck laughed and pulled her in for a kiss. Jade smiled. This was the way it was supposed to be. Jade and Beck, Beck and Jade. Together.

_Author's Note: _

_Wow, I surprised myself with this being the LAST CHAPTER! I might just start the new story, anyway. Or do a few pointless one-shots while I'm waiting for those three reviews. Story requests, remember the requests! Remember to review!_


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